Merino double secures Arsenal victory against Slavia in Champions League clash

A pair of second half strikes from Mikel Merino guided Arsenal to a convincing 3-0 victory away to Slavia Prague in the Champions League on Tuesday, marking the Gunners fourth success in four outings in the tournament.

For the table topping Premier League side, this outcome represented their tenth successive victory across all fronts and an eighth shutout in a row.

Arsenal have now netted 11 times without leaking a single goal in the Champions League this season, pulling ahead at the summit of the group table.

The encounter featured a historic milestone too, with Arsenals Max Dowman entering as the youngest player ever in a Champions League match at 15 years and 309 days old, substituting in the 73rd minute.

Acting skipper Bukayo Saka broke the deadlock via a penalty in the 32nd minute, following a handball by Slavia skipper Lukas Provod inside the area while dealing with a corner kick.

Merino doubled the lead just 30 seconds after the restart during a swift counter, smashing a volley into the near corner following an excellent threaded pass from Leandro Trossard that left him free in the Slavia penalty area.

He added a third on 68 minutes, nodding past Slavia custodian Jakub Markovic from Declan Rices inviting delivery.

Merino featured among four alterations introduced by Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta compared to their 2-0 Premier League success over Burnley at the weekend.

The contest began with plenty of action, as Gabriel Magalhaes fired over from range and Provod mirrored the effort at the opposite end within the first couple of minutes.

Slavias attempts to threaten the Arsenal net were repeatedly thwarted by the Gunners impenetrable backline, with the Czech title holders managing zero efforts on target throughout.

Arsenal quickly took control, holding the majority of the ball and generating opportunities even without their sidelined forwards Viktor Gyokeres, Kai Havertz, and Gabriel Martinelli.

Saka tested the keeper with three attempts in an eight minute spell around the halfway mark of the opening period, only to be repelled by Slavias Markovic on each occasion.

The shot stopper also thwarted the Gunners leaders close range effort along the ground in the 60th minute.

Defeat means Slavia, who lead the Czech league, sit with just two points after four Champions League fixtures.